Davis Gulch, Glen Canyon, Utah

Route Name, Location: Davis Gulch, Glen Canyon, Utah
USGS Quad(s):
Trip date(s): Feb and April 2004
Why go? Solitude, Anasazi ruins, beautiful scenery
H20: Plenty
Human Traffic: Almost none
Difficulty: Except for the descent into and ascent out of the gulch, the hike itself is not difficult. Navigation can be tricky as there is not a trail

Description
So, we went to Davis Gulch the first time because it was cold and wet (feet of snow) in northern Utah but we wanted to get out. I found information on the gulch in a book, Hiking Utah, by David Hall. It is located right next to Lake Powell in the Glen Canyon recreation area, within boundaries of a wilderness area.

The first time we went, in Feb. 2004, it was COLD! While there was not snow at our level, we could see it topping the surrounding red buttes, and our water froze each night, even with our water bottles inside the tent next to our sleeping bags. We base camped above the gulch, worried about threatening rain, and were caught in some high winds which made the cold even colder (colder than a mother-in-law’s kiss).

We found out, on the second trip (April 2004), that there are a few places in the gulch on which you can setup a tent and sleep. This is a lot better than camping above the gulch as water is usually running down the gulch and the wind is not nearly as bad. We came the second time because we were so enchanted with the place the first time. I’m sure we’ll go again. These camp spots are well above possible flood levels, nestled close to the cliff wall in the shade.

Special Features
This hike has no trail head, no markers, or anything. As a result, you probably won’t run into anyone while you’re there. I’m not sure, but since there are a number of Anasazi ruins inside the gulch (and one that we found above), that the feds are not quick to have a lot of traffic through the area. You have to hike above the gulch for some time as the only descent is near the lake.

Below are some coordinates to things we found while wandering around, above, and within the gulch. If you go, please do not mess with any artifacts – no touching, taking, defacing, and so on (all coordinates are in UTM). Also, please do not depend on these coordinates to keep yourself out of danger or anything – not my fault if you get lost or hurt! But you can thank me if you make it out safe, charged from seeing things that could be 1,000 years old. Also, there is a lot more to see than what I have documented here. I could not get a good GPS fix once the canyon walls started closing in.

Mill stone: 12 S 0502785, 4127 125 
Rock art: 12 S 0504210, 4128073
Arch: 12 S 0505479, 4129270
Ruin: 12 S 0503756, 4127438
Good place to begin descent into gulch: 12 S 0503840, 4128130

Trip Log
I don’t have a good log for this trip.

Notes
Even though further up the canyon there are not many ruins, I strongly recommend you wander all the way up. There are huge cathedrals cut into the sand stone, cool places to sit, and in general it’s different than anywhere else in the world (or at least my little world). Keep your eyes open for rock art and even steps carved into the stone, ascending out of the gulch in what I would consider a course bent on suicide.

Once you get to the top of the gulch, it gets extremely narrow and appears impassible. We climbed a long way into that narrow crack, as far as we could go without ropes. We had to do some swimming, but it was worth it. I would not recommend going into this narrow point unless you are extremely adventurous and a little stupid. It looks passable, but again, we did not have ropes and therefore had to turn around and go back down the gulch (which was the plan in the first place).